30 Rock is coming back to NBC — to promote NBCUniversal shows
What a week, huh?
NBC is bringing back 30 Rock for an hour-long special next month, in which Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer will all return as their characters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Before you get too excited, though, there's a catch. The announcement says this special will "highlight new and returning programming" from NBCUniversal's networks, and Variety notes it will "double as an upfront special" for the company as part of its presentation to advertisers. In fact, the Reporter says NBCUniversal's chair of advertising and partnerships will actually be featured in the special, and the announcement says it will include guests from across the company's portfolio, as well.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, executives producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock in a statement celebrated this as an "excuse to (remotely) work together again," adding, "to quote Kenneth the Page, there are only two things we love in this world, television and everyone." 30 Rock, which is set behind the scenes of a fictional NBC show and frequently mocked the network throughout its run, aired its series finale more than seven years ago.
This comes after NBC brought back Parks and Recreation for a scripted reunion special in April, although that was a fundraiser to raise money for Feeding America which also essentially functioned as a new episode of the show. The 30 Rock special is set to air without commercials on NBC on Thursday, July 16, and it will be rebroadcast on USA Network, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, and CNBC before heading to the company's streaming service Peacock. So for all those who want to go to there, next month's your chance.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
